EASTON – Mario Ferretti saw several police cruisers respond to his neighbor’s home on Beaver Dam Road shortly after noon on Saturday.

At first, Ferretti didn’t know why police were there. He and other neighbors later learned that police had responded after receiving a 911 call reporting the sudden death of Easton police officer Charles Hopkins at the raised-ranch style home.

“It’s sad, a very unfortunate thing,” said Ferretti, 79, on Monday.

Ferretti said he didn’t know Hopkins, but that he would see the longtime Easton officer travel up and down the street often. Neighbors said Hopkins had relatives who lived at the Beaver Dam Road home.

Easton police Lt. Gary Sullivan said Hopkins, a father of three, was on duty when he died. He would not release further details.

Nearly a dozen police cruisers responded to Beaver Dam Road after receiving an emergency call reporting a sudden death at 12:27 p.m. Saturday, according to police logs.

State police detectives and the medical examiner were called to the scene to investigate.